Since August this year, the “national food” onion of Indians has caused an uproar in India. After the delayed harvest and shrinking supply caused by the extension of the rainy season this year, India’s onion production decreased sharply this year, and the inventory decreased sharply by 35%, leading to a sharp rise in prices. People suffered so much that they even had to give up eating onions.
Since August, the price of onion in India has risen steadily, from 25 rupees per kilogram (about 2.5 yuan) at the beginning of * to 60 to 80 rupees per kilogram (about 6 to 8 yuan) in November and 100 to 150 rupees per kilogram (about 10 to 15 yuan) in December. Last year, when the supply of onions was sufficient, the price of onions in some parts of India was about 1 rupee per kilogram (about 0.1 yuan).
Local Indian resident: “it’s too expensive. Sometimes you just don’t put onions in the cooking, but the cooking doesn’t smell good.”
[impact diffusion] the “onion crisis” triggered livelihood problems and spread to South Asia
Onion prices soared all the way. The Indian government announced a ban on onion export in September, which triggered a series of livelihood problems, and India’s “onion crisis” also affected many countries in South Asia.
In some Indian cities, onion prices have tripled in the past month, which is unbearable for most Indian families. Soaring onion prices not only accelerate inflation, but also cause many social problems, such as theft and fighting. Police in Uttar Pradesh, India, received a report in early December. A businessman said that a truck of onions from Maharashtra, India to Uttar Pradesh, India was missing, and the value of the goods was about 2 million rupees (about 200000 yuan). The police soon found the truck, but the car was empty and the driver and the onions in the car were missing.
There is a shortage of onions in India. The busy Indian government urgently announced on September 29 to stop all onion exports, and announced on November 19 to extend the export ban until February next year. However, the export ban not only failed to stop the soaring onion prices in India, but also spread the onion crisis to more countries in South Asia. India is a big exporter of onions, and neighboring countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal import onions from India. India’s onion export ban made the onions of these countries soar. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh even called on the people to give up eating onions.
The Indian government has been trying to solve the onion crisis by selling onions at subsidized prices in some states, stopping onion exports, cracking down on hoarders, and importing onions from countries such as Turkey and Egypt.
[extended reading] onion: India’s “political vegetable”
In India, onions are “political vegetables”. Because the sufficient supply of onions affects people’s daily diet and millions of votes in the general election.
For example, as early as 1980, onion prices soared, and people complained about it because of the unfavorable control of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. At that time, Indira Gandhi, the opposition Congress party, took advantage of the situation, strung onions into a necklace around his neck in the election campaign, and shouted the slogan: “a government that cannot control onion prices has no power to control power”.
In the election that year, Indira Gandhi * finally won the support of voters and was re elected prime minister. However, the onion crisis in India is not over. It will repeat almost every few years, which has an impact on Indian politics and makes Indian politicians cry for an onion frequently.
[news link] the “onion crisis” that makes India cry frequently
Jayati gosh, Professor of economics at Nehru University in India: “interestingly, onion has become a political barometer in India, because onion plays a key role in Indian diet. It is not just a seasoning or vegetable, but the basic material for making curry, which is the same all over the country. In fact, in many elections in the past, onion prices have become a particularly big political topic. ”
In October 1998, the sharp rise in onion prices triggered large-scale street protests and robberies, which directly led to the defeat of the Indian people’s party in the subsequent local council elections in New Delhi and Rajasthan.
In October 2005, the price of onions soared from 15 rupees per kilogram to 30 rupees to 35 rupees, triggering demonstrations. Subsequently, the Indian government announced that it would import 2000 tons and 650 tons of onions from China and Pakistan respectively. This is also the * time in Indian history to import onions from abroad.
In October 2010, the onion crisis broke out again. In November, the Indian government announced a ban on onion exports and extended the ban indefinitely at the end of December. The opposition launched tens of thousands of demonstrations through the onion crisis, paralyzing parts of New Delhi.
In the storm of onion price rise in 2013, the retail price of onion in some regions rose from rs. 20 per kilogram, about RMB 2, to rs. 100 per kilogram, about RMB 10. Some people even filed a public interest lawsuit to the * high court, asking the government to regulate the price of onions and other vegetables.
[news analysis] reasons for frequent “onion crisis” in India
Onion is easy to grow, high-yield and cheap, which is deeply loved by the Indian people. however,with the special identity of”national food”,why do indian onions break out of crisis frequently?
India has a tropical monsoon climate. Normally, India has a dry season from February to April, followed by a rainy season in June, with precipitation peaking around November. The early or late rainy season will have an impact on India’s onion harvest. For example, in the first half of this year, the severe drought affected the harvest of * harvest seasons in India, and the onion production decreased by half compared with 2018. In the second harvest season in September, monsoon rainfall and floods caused damage and production reduction to crops. Many onions were soaked and rotten in the ground before picking. The supply of onions was greatly reduced, resulting in a sharp rise in prices.
In India, onions have to be loaded, classified and packaged at least four times from picking to putting them into people’s vegetable baskets, which not only increases the cost, but also has an alarming loss rate. The weight loss caused by midway damage or drying is more than one third. A report from the Central Bank of India shows that about 40% of India’s fruits and vegetables rot before they are sold due to poor transportation and storage facilities. In addition, some analysts pointed out that middlemen are the big beneficiaries of India’s entire agricultural product industry chain. Under the exploitation of middlemen, farmers’ income has been further reduced.
Post time: Aug-10-2021